On the Iron Range and in Koochiching County, 1,000 food-insecure children receive nutritious, child-friendly, nonperishable meal kits each weekend as they head home from school through United Way of Northeastern Minnesota's Buddy Backpack program. These children, without this food assistance, would come to school on Mondays with stomach cramps, headaches, stomach aches and dizziness because they were not given enough to eat or properly nourished over the weekends. The Buddy Backpack program is designed to help nourish and sustain children in need over the weekends so that they can return to school on Monday mornings ready to learn, grow and thrive.
